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Misuse of the Ad Hominem

If it were just one Christian, I would say that he or she was just ignorant of the use of the philosophical term, but it seems that many Christians who I get in online discussions/debates with seem to misuse to term “ad hominem.” So I thought I would take the time to explain it in a blog so that I and other atheists can refer Christians to it whenever they misuse the term.

First, let’s talk about what an ad hominem isn’t. It isn’t a fancy way of saying that you have insulted me or my position. This is how many of the offenders seem to think it means. If I were to say, “You are ugly,” that alone does not qualify as an ad hominem attack. It is just an insult.

However, if I were to say that you are ugly therefore your argument is invalid, that would be an ad hominem attack. You see, an ad hominem attack is an insult which is used to discredit the argument. Still, sometimes ad hominem attacks are not fallacious. For example, if someone has a history of lying and I were to say, “You’re a liar, so your argument is invalid,” that might have merit depending on the argument and the degree that the person making it is known for his or her lying.

The irony is that when Christians claim I am making an ad hominem attack on them and that my arguments are invalid because I have insulted them in some way, they are in fact guilty of making an ad hominem attack.

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